An Act Of Care 2- Holding On
by Silver Kitten
Summary: hi! ok well this is a semi-second part to An Act Of Care. Plz plz read, feedback would help so much. This part is basically about Arnold contemplating what happened, and his thoughts and fears for Helga. plz R&R, thanx ^_^


Arnold's POV~

An Act Of Care 2- Holding On 

Disclaimer: Please refrain from suing me, cuz the only money you'll get is if ya have a refundable lawyer.^_~(in other words I don't own Hey Arnold! And I'd appreciate you not suing me since I don't have any money to sue for)

Note: I just wanna say thanks to all of you who read and reviewed my first part!I wasn't even expecting more than 3 and I have more than 10!Even though some people consider 50 reviews as an accomplishment, I'm happy with 'least 5!^_^ so thanks much, and I'm sorry if some of you didn't agree with the rating, I just rated this R to be on the safe side.Oh and BTW this basically is just what's going on from the incident in the first part up until what the third part will be all about.Cuz originally I was gonna keep going on this, but I found if I did that, then part two woulda been probably a little too long, so this is just to break it up a little…but reviews are still appreciated, and of course any suggestions on how to write better 'n stuff.Thanks lots!

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Arnold's POV~

There was blood all over my hands, staining my shirt as well as my heart.I felt so nauseated by what has just happened, and what is still happening.Helga could be very well dying in my arms!The thought is almost enough to make me pass out.I needed to get help but I couldn't leave her.Paramedics are running around, but why do they seem to look over me?It's like I'm not here, its like Helga is too late to save.No!

"H-hey!I need some help over here!" I yelled, and to no avail.A paramedic rushed over to another girl, one whom I didn't know, and she was slightly injured.I yelled again, and again, I persisted until finally someone stopped.

"Move away!" he ordered, his eyes riveting towards the scene of the room.For some reason I found myself hesitant to move from her, I almost…didn't want to let her go, as if I was the sole person who held onto her had she not been able to hang on herself.But I did what I had to, I released her into his muscular arms that carefully swung her up and cradled her, starting to run out of the room.I followed, my eyes fixated on her limp body, it was horrifying.Horrifying to imagine she may never clench another fist at anyone, difficult to even think she ever had!

Now Helga G. Pataki lay as innocent as ever, so innocent in fact, like she had never been guilty of cruel behavior or mixed manners.For some reason, I found it hard to believe she was the same Helga, or more so, the _real_ Helga. 

The man carried her and set her down on a stretcher, and I watched in awe, as she was strapped in.Some other assistants helped pull the stretcher into an ambulance.The guy was about to shut the door, when I perfectly envisioned a travesty of what could have happened.The door slammed in my face, the ambulance driving off, barely reaching the hospital in time.The doctors operating, nurses fetching small utensils, but to no benefit; Helga would die, and the last memory I'd have of her was as a weak, devastated and hapless little girl who died…I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd be completely responsible.She'd die because of me.

I could not let her die, of course, I had to be with her.Before the guy shut the door, I immediately stepped in.

"Please, let me come with?" I pleaded, and maybe with the conviction of tears I now witnessed supported my effort to ride with her.The man nodded and I jumped in, taking a small compact seat aside from Helga.I looked as the paramedics hooked up I.V.s into her, hearing the clink-clink of the small bag of clear liquid knock against the metal bar that held it up.I watched the gauze and cloth placed on her wound, ghastly turning a fire red that seemed to burn through the pure whiteness of it.I sat in pure shock listening to the beeping of her heart monitor; sudden skips of her heartbeat that caused the nauseating feeling in me to nearly erupt.

I felt the ambulance whirl beneath, it was going horrendously fast and I know I wanted it to.The sirens loud beam of sound blasting through the clearing streets, and the flashing red and blue lights I wished I'd never have to see first hand, impacted my mind with a ringing.

It seemed hours before the hospital was reached; yet it was only minutes.Then there came a sudden jumble of paramedics trying to get Helga out of the ambulance, and another group of nurses and a doctor came to help.I leaped out of the vehicle, almost falling flat on my face, but I remained in my stand, and sprinted to catch up to Helga.

They were moving so quickly, I was glad for it yet angered by it.I passed through the entrance to the emergency room, followed them down the long hall filled with irritating lights and hollow footstep echoes and tacky paintings hung on the walls.At least five more sets of swinging doors gliding open and closes behind me now, and I approached the final room.About to enter, I felt a cold hand rest on my shoulder, firmly halting me in my tracks. 

"Can't go much further than this, kid, you'll hafta go in the waiting room now." Said a raspy voice.I turned and saw a much elder man in a green doctors suit, with an unshaven face and rusty colored hair.He looked professional I guess, and though I was determined to protest, I thought I'd stay out of trouble and head on to the waiting room.

In the waiting room it was weakly warm, and as if I wasn't shivering enough, the cold stationary temperature now thrived inside and outside my entire body.Too frantic in my optimism to sit, to distraught in my guilt to stand, I couldn't decide if I wanted to slump down and slip away or remain strong for Helga and try to sustain staying in this nightmarish world known as reality.

An hour passed.Out of nowhere, another thought crossed my mind- Grandpa.I haven't talked to him; I wonder if he's heard about this…I wonder if it's on the news.I stumbled over towards the front desk.

"Excuse me, ma'am, may I use that phone?" I asked.She turned her eyes, busy on her work, and looked at me.Her face stayed sober and she gave a quick nod, returning to her paperwork."Thanks." I gulped, sliding to the phone.I picked it up, my hand was shaking and it would have fallen if I didn't get a better grip.I dialed for Sunset Arms.It was ringing, ringing, but no answer.Where was grandpa, and grandma, anyone?

I was growing impatient and hung the phone up silently.

"Arnold!Oh, there he is!Arnold!" I heard someone cry, and I faced grandma running up to me, tears falling like drops of rain as she embraced me.

Then I saw grandpa coming, who hugged me too.I tried hugging them back, but the pressure from grandma's hug was immense.When she loosened her grip I gave a half smile.It was the first thing closest to a smile since this morning.

"Hi grandma, grandpa." I answered, trying not to sound so gloomy but obviously failing.They both gave me a sympathetic glance, looked at each other, then back at me.

Not knowing what to say or do, we all stood in a moment of silence, until Grandma broke it with a heavy, tired sigh.We walked back over to the waiting room, noticing several other people there now.

"So short man, ya gonna sit?" Grandpa asked, motioning towards a seat.I shook my head no, and continued to pace back in forth in a routine pattern.Much like the questions did in my head, routinely repeating one after another, maybe just in a different form.Like 'Is Helga going to die?What will happen if she does?I'd be responsible, she died because she saved me…' then BAM!It came on call and hit hard, one of the more difficult paradox's I've yet to wonder.Why did Helga take the bullet for me?

I don't know but as of now that question was touchy, I chose to push it in the back of my mind and focus more on other things, like her life.Conveniently enough, I saw Bob and Miriam Pataki, Helga's parent's show up at the front desk.Bob was in an outrage, his face red and wrinkled together from his grumbling.Miriam looked awfully drowsy; her eyes drooped, lounging around the room like she didn't have a clue as to what was going on.Then again, not many of us did.Besides the point though, I edged a little closer to hear the conversation.

"Where's my daughter Helen!" Bob demanded, raising a fist.Miriam yawned and put a hand on Bob's shoulder.

"It's Helga, dear." She said, letting out a weighty sigh.

"Yeah whatever," he replied, assuming his angered state of mind over careless (but then, was there a difference?)

"Well there was a little girl brought in around an hour ago.A miss Helga Pataki.Would you be her parents?" the lady at the desk responded.

"Duh!I wouldn't have wasted gas to drive all the way here if she wasn't, and its bad enough I did anyways!So where is she!" he inquired, slamming a fist on the desk.The lady jumped, her loose frames of her glasses slid slightly down her nose as she looked up.

"Let me check." She said with a glare."Yes, she's with Dr. Hammilton now, he should be out to give a full report on her status shortly.Now, if you'll kindly have a seat in the waiting room." She suggested, pointing over to where I was standing.I caught Bob to look right at me, and there was a sense of hatred in his stare.He muttered to himself and starting walking towards me.I felt beads of sweat form on the top of my head.

"You, head boy!What do you know about my daughter, Helena?" he asked me furiously, and as he neared, I got the scent of alcohol in his breath.

"You mean Helga?" I said meekly, taking a step back.

"Arg, whatever!What happened?" he said, shaking his fist.

Before any response could be given time froze essentially, I noticed a tall man in a green suit with an unshaven face and rust colored hair walking steadily towards us from the E.R.Only his suit wasn't so green now, it was spotted with a rich burgundy color from stains of blood, and it drenched his shirt.Every step he took, his face became graver and graver, and his eyes misted over keeping direct contact to mine.Every step he took, was like hearing a giant pendulum swing, hitting the sides of a huge clock.Tick.Tock.A dead walk for a dead silence that lived between realities atmosphere for me now.And more importantly, every step he took was like a wave of fear passing through me.He knew the answer of Helga's life; he held the key to unlocking this unbearable secret.Will she live?Will she die?

Closer and closer, louder the ticking got, more ferocious the fear in me welled.

Helga…what is the final verdict?

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There!sorry for the "suspense" there lol…..eehhhh…*Sweatdrop* yeah.Well what did u think? I know its not much, but the third part will be coming up soon and it'll have more stuff happen in it.Well take care, bye bye!And thanks again for reviewing, support helps, especially since I don't have like…any self-esteem.(I'll spare ya the sob stories and just finish this up so you can get on with life) ^_~ okie dokez.FYI the 3 masked villains will be revealed in an upcoming part (obviously hehe) but I still got some stuff to write in between that time.

~*Silver Kitten*~


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